Shoe press



Nov. 3, 1953 F. c. CHOICE 2,657,406

SHOE PRESS Filed Sept. 8. 1950 v 4 Sheets-Sheet l Inven for Fran/4 6.Choice 7 Bfi zftorney F. C. CHOICE Nov. 3, 1953 SHOE PRESS 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 8. 1950 U 1M 6 I W 1 Nov. 3, 1953 F. c.CHOICE 2,

SHOE PRESS Filed Sept. 8, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Invenzor //Z 'Fr'dilk66/70/06 I Byfiis Atzfzey Nov. 3, 1953 Filed Sept. 8. 1950 F. C. CHOICESHOE PRESS 76 I r\\\ L 1' 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inven for Frank C Cholce159/26 Attorney Patented Nov. 3, 1953 SHOE PRESS Frank Coleman Choice,Leicester, England, as-

signor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J acorporation of New Jersey Application September 8, 1950, Serial No.183,685 Claims priority, application Great Britain September 24, 1949 23Claims. 1

This invention relates to shoe presses and particularly to those of thetype used in repairing shoes.

Objects of the invention are to provide a convenient, simple andeffective machine of this character which can be operated manually by anunskilled operator and by which uniform pressure may be applied to shoebottoms in the cement attachment of soles to shoes of widely varyingstyles and sizes, the pressure so applied being substantially constant.

Characteristics of the machine are accessibility for inserting a shoe,prevention of damage to the shoe by excessive pressure, and capacity formovement of the shoe and last while under pressure to distribute thebottom pressure evenly. V

The illustrated machine comprises a hollow shoea-bottom-pressing pad thetop of which comprises a diaphragm of yielding material, the pad beingfilled with a liquid such as "water at atmos- 3 pheric pressure. The padcommunicates with an open-topped water reservoir through an adjustablepressure relief valve which may be set to open at a predeterminedpressure. pressure which can be applied to the sole of a shoe pressedupon the pad is limited to that to which the valve is set, and for agiven setting the pressure applied to successive shoe bottoms will besubstantially the same per unit of area.

In case more wrap is desired on the shoe .bottom, some of the water maybe allowed to pass into the reservoir so that the shoe will sink moredeeply into the pad before the predetermined pressure is reached.

To permit the position of the shoe relatively to the pad to be changedwhile the shoe is under pressure to cause the pressure to be more evenlydistributed on the shoe bottom, the machine includes a work-engagingabutment supported by a yoke which straddles the shoe and is pivoted onan axis extending transversely of the shoe located approximately in theplane of the pressing surface of the pad and substantiallyv at the ballsiderable mechanical advantage to a hand lever Thus, the i 2 which,after the abutment has been moved into engagement with the last, can bemoved perpendicular to the pad to press the shoe against the pad,ratchet and pawl means being provided to hold the yoke depressed. Toadapt the machine for use with lasts of diiierent heights, the abutmentis slidable heightwise with respect to the yoke, and a locking plate isprovided to hold it from upward movement after it has been depressed toengage the last. Means is also provided for automatically unlocking theabutment when the yoke is raised upon release of pressure.

To facilitate removal of the shoe, means convenient for the operator isprovided for tripping the relief valve to allow water to flow from thepad to the reservoir, thus releasing pressure on the shoe bottom.Tripping of this relief valve also energizes means for releasing a pawlholding the yoke down, the pawl being thus automatically released whenthe pressure on the shoe is lessened by flow of water to the rservoir.

Movement of the yoke toward the pad is utilized to close the reliefvalve before substantial pressure is applied to the shoe as Well as torender the pawl operative to hold the yoke depressed.

To insure thatthe pad will contain its full quota of water before eachpressing operation, springoperated means is provided for raising thediaphragm when pressure thereon is removed and, in order that theflexibility of the diaphragm may not be reduced by too much upwardpressure thereon, the spring is arranged to act through a toggle so thatthe more the diaphragm is depressed the less will be the pressure of thespring tending to raise the diaphragm, and vice versa.

These and other features of the invention will appear more fully fromthe following description when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

v Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the illustrated machine with a shoe inposition and under pressure, the hand lever being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a right-hand side elevation of the machine, portions beingbroken away to show the internal mechanism;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the left-hand ear on the base;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the base of the illustrated machine, the padand the water reservoirhaving been removed; I

Fig. 4 is a section of the last-engaging abutment oi"- ghe machine indepressed and locked position; an

the valve being closed.

The machine comprises a hollow metallic frame it adapted to be placed ona table or the like and being somewhat triangular in shape when lookedat from above (Fig. 3), the base of the triangle being nearest to theoperator. The sides of the frame upstanding from the base are flangedinwardly at the top, the upper faces of the flange presenting a face i2(Fig. 2) inclined toward the operator at some fifteen degrees to thehorizontal. An edge 14 (Fig. 3) of the flange defines a relatively largeopening which is triangular in plan view, the front edge of the openingbeing coincident with the front edge of the base. An upstandingtransverse rib iii on the flange 12 adjacent to the rear end of theopening has formed in it from front to rear a substantially V-shapedrecess [6 (Figs. 2 and 3). Formed on each side of the frame adjacent tothe front edge are two upstanding ears It, 26 (Fig. 1) in which areslots 22, 24 so inclined as to be substantially at right angles to theface it. Extending inwardly from the ears I 8, 253 (Fig. 3) are twoprojections 26 presenting upwardly wedge-shaped edges runningtransversely of the machine.

The wedge-shaped projection 26, together with the V-shaped recess l6,constitutes locating supports for a fluid-containing pad member having aresilient face against which a shoe bottom is to be pressed. The padmember comprises a metallic receptacle '28 (Figs. 1 and 2) ofsubstantially horseshoe-shape in plan, open at its top and front, andadapted to contain a fluid,

preferably water. Extending across the top and down the front portion ofthe receptacle is a diaphragm 3i! of canvas-reinforced. rubber held inposition on an outwardly directed flange around the edges of thereceptacle by an appropriately shaped clamping member 32 which isfastened to the flange by a series of screws and bolts 34.

Located inside the receptacle 28 (Fig. 2) is a distending meanscomprising a plate '36 slightly curved so as to conform approximately tothe contour of the under side of the diaphragm 30 when in its distendedcondition, the plate being pivoted by means of a pin 38 passingthroughholes in two depending ears on the plate to an upper link 4531 of atoggle.

end to the lower link 48 by a pin 44. A pin 46 carried by the lower endof the link 42 is jour- The lower link 42 of the toggle is pivotallyconnected at its upper V The receptacle 23 and diaphragm 3B,constituting a shoe-supporting pad, are of sufficient length to engagethe bottom of a shoe of large size over the whole of its length in caseit is desired to attach a full-length sole to the shoe. In case theoperator wishes to attach a half sole to a shoe, the pad member 2B, 30may be moved bodily to a more rearward position on the frame so thatonly the sole portion of the shoe will be in contact with the diaphragm.For this purpose the receptacle 28 has formed along each side adepending rib in which are pro vided a number of transverse notches 58which, when in engagement with the wedge-shaped edges 25, serve tolocate the pad fore and aft conveniently for the type of work beingdone. The receptacle also has a wedge-shaped rib 6% which has a slidingfit in the V-shaped recess 16 in the transverse rib !5 on the flange ofthe frame. Finger-holds 6! are provided on the lower front portion ofthe receptacle 23 to facilitate lifting and moving it longitudinally.

The rear end portion of the receptacle 28 extends considerablyrearwardly of the diaphragm to form a circular face 52 (Fig. 2) soarranged as to support a water reservoir 54 attached thereto by screws,a water-tight joint being made by a washer of resilient material. A holehaving a frusto-conical seat 68 is provided in the bottom of thereservoir 64 in line with a duct 10 connecting a cavity of thereceptacle to the reservoir. A vertical rod 72 (Fig. 5) carrying nearits lower end a hemispherical Washer 14 of resili nt material acts as ashut-off and relief valve between the reservoir and the pad memher andis operated as will be later explained.

naled in a groove of an upstanding lug 48 on V the bottom wall of thereceptacle. Also pivotally connected to the pin 3'8 is a rearwardlyextending link 5!! the rear end of which is loosely held on anupstanding pin 52 driven into a boss formed on the bottom wall of thereceptacle, the looseness of the link being to allow a certain amount ofup-and-down movement of the link as the toggle tends to straighten underthe influence of a tension spring 54 anchored between the pin 44 at thejoint of the toggle and a depending lug 55 on the link 53. The action ofthe spring thus tends by means of the toggle to keep the diaphragm in alightly distended condition. The arrangement is such that the spring andtoggle have a greater mechanical advantage tending to distend thediaphragm when the diaphragm is most fully distended which advantagewill gradually diminish as the diaphragm is depressed by the pressure ofa shoe thereon.

Also carried on the rod 72 is a baffle it which prevents water splashingthrough the opening at the top of the reservoir. A hollow projection 73on the upper end portion of the water reservoir provides a funnel forfilling the pad and the water reservoir to the desired depth.

Formed on the rear side of the hollow projection F8 are two lugs '89(Fig. 5) in which is carried a pin 82, which pin serves as a pivot for avalve-operating lever 84 which, about half way of its length, is pivotedto the upper end of the valve rod 12. The rear end of the valveoperatinglever is provided with a hole through which passes a nearly vertical rod86 on the upper portion of which is threaded a washer '88 and a, coilspring 90 retained against upward movement by an adjustable collar 92,the washer being interposed between the lower end of the spring and theupper face of the valve-operating lever 84. A second collar 94 fixed onthe rod just below the valve-operating lever engages a lower facethereof. The rod passes down behind the reservoir (Fig. 2), the lowerend of the rod being pivotally connected to the rear portion of aplate-like lever 96 the forward end of which is pivoted on a pin 98which passes transversely through the rear upper portion of the frame. 7

The lever 96' is provided below its pivot with a cam slot Hill whichengages a cam roll 202 rotatably mounted on a pivot I54 extendingtransversely of the upper end of a trip lever Hit. The trip lever ispivoted near its lower end on a pin I58 passing transversely through therear lower portion of the frame. The pin H14 of the cam roll is extendedto provide a pivotal connection to a trip rod I It which extendsforwardly through the frame and projects at the front where it carries aknob H2 in position to be actuated by the operators left hand. Thus,when the knob H2 is pushed rearwa dly y he op rator, the cam roll it:carried b the trip lever I06, moves rearwardly in a circular oath about1 1.1? Pi O I 08. The first part of the cam slot IIlIlgis inclined tothe path of he roll I02 so that t lever is moved upwardly about its piot .98. the roll then. passing into a portion of the slot which isconcentric with the path of the roll. Th causes the rod 86 to be movedpward so hat the lower collar at wi l en a e the und r sid of thevalve-operating lever 84 and raise the rod 12. causing the resili ntWash r 14 to be rais out of engagement with the seat 68 of. th hole inthe bottom of the reservoir and held up. Th rod I2 is raised when theoperator wishes o remove a shoe from the apparatus at the conclusion ofa bot ommressing operation Means is provided (his. 1) fo proteins theshoe firmly down on the diaphra m 39, said means comprising a prssure-applying and dis tributing yoke H4 of inverted Y shapc havinglimbs H5, H6 which straddle. the pad. The upper portion of the yoke II4(Fig. e). is bored vertically to form a bearing for a sliding shaft I I!on the upper end of which is attached a handle member H8. The lower endof thesliding shaft I I! is rounded at the lower end to form an abutmentII 9 for engaging the pressure-receiving portion P of a last L (Fig. 1)overlying the forepart of the sole of a shoe to. be operated on. Sideflanges I (Fig. 4) are also provided to engage the sides of thepressure-receiving portion P of the last. The sliding shaft II! issplined at I22 to the yoke II4 to prevent rotation while allowinglongitudinal movement of the shaft. The shaft II! is urged upwardly by alever I24 pivoted on a pin I 26 carried by the yoke, one end of thelever engaging the lower rear edge of the handle member IIB while theother end is connected to a spring I28 anchoredto the yoke. The upperportion of the slidingshaft H1 is shrouded forwardly and rearwar'dly bythe downwardly extending flanges of the handle H8 and passes through ahole provided in a locking bar I30 (Fig. 4) pivotally supported betweentwo links I32 on a pin I34 which is journaled in the upper portions ofthe links. The links are pivotally supported at their lower ends onanother pin I36 which is carried by the yoke I M, the links beingclamped together by a screw I38 passing through the front link andthreaded into the rear link so that they form a single unit, a spacingcollar I40 surroundin the screw I being located between the links I32 sothey are free to move on their pivot I36. A hole larger than the spacingcollar I is provided in the yoke IM, through which hole the screw I38and the collar Mil pass to allow a limited amount of movement of thelink unit. The, locking bar I30 is urged upwardly by a spring I42 housedin the yoke II4. An extension M4 of the, locking bar I36 is adjustablyconnected to a downwardly extending rod I45 which passes through anopening provided in the left limb I I5 of the yoke (Fig. l) and ispivotally connected at its lower end to a lever I48 (Fi 2 The lever ispivoted at its rear end on a pin 159 carried in a rearward projection ofa left side link I52 which is piv-l oted to the limb IIB of the yoke.The lever I48 (Fig. 1) is provided with a lateral extension I5 whi hunderli s a lug I56 on he ear I8 of the base. The arran ement is. suchthat wh n he yoke is in its upper positi n the lever 14.8 held by thelug I58 on the ear I8 in such a position 6 h t he lo kin ar I30 ishorizontal. in hi h position the sliding shaft II'I can slide smoothlyhrou h the hole in the locking bar. When the yoke is moved down,however, the extension I54 is no lon er in contact with the lug I56 andthe locking bar I30 is free to be tilted in a clockwise direction by thespring I42 about the pivot I34 to lock the shaft III against upwardmovement.

The limbs II5, IIB of the yoke II I are each bifurcated, one to engagethe left link I52 and the other to enga e a right link I51, the linkscontrolling the heightwise position of the yoke. The upper end of eachlink is pivoted on a transverse pin I53 of such length that it extendsoutwardly beyond the limb of the yoke and carries a roll IE9 freelymounted thereon and located one in. the slot 22 of the ear I8 and theother in the slot 24 of the ear 20, the rolls Ito being coaxial. Thelimb II5 of the yoke has a rearward extension I6I (Fig. 2.) andwhen notin use is swung rearwardly by a tension spring I62 connected at one endto a pin I63 on the extension IGI rearwardly of the pin I58 and theother end to the frame, the yoke being thus biased to the rearwardlyswungposition shown in Fig. 2 with a face of the extension I5I incontact with a pin I64 on the link I51. The yoke H4 is free to be swungabout the axis of the pins I58 and is of such an overall width as to beable to move freely between the upwardly extending ears I8, 20' of theframe, the cam rolls ISII engaging the inclined slots 22, 24 therein.

The right-hand limb II5 (Fig. 2) of the pressure-distributing yoke N 3is extended downwardly to form a toothed segment I 55 concentrio withthe pivot pins I58 on which the yoke is mounted. A latch I58frictionally pivoted to the link I5? by a pin lie is provided to engagethe teeth of the segment so that when the pressure-distributing yoke ismoved about its pivots it may be latched in the desired position. A pinI i2 projecting from the side of the latch serves by contact with a bossIt'd on the frame to disengage the latch I68 from the segment I65 whenthe yoke rises on the release of pressure.

The lower ends of the two downwardly extending links I 52, I5? arepivotall supported in bifurcated forward ends of two arms of a forkedpressure-locking lever H5 (Figs. 2 and which is supported approximatelya quarter of the way along its length on coaxial pivots I75, I carriedtransversely in the frame.

Rearwardly converging arms of the pressurelocking lever I15 combine tosupport a transverse pivot !82 for the lower end of an upwardlyextending link I8! and also to carry an upwardly extending ratchetsegment Isa with which at appropriate times in the operation of theapparatus a locking pawl I88 is brought into engagement. The pawl ispivoted on a pin I90 supported by and extending transversely of the rearportion of the frame. The pawl is provided with a spring finger 392 bywhich it is moved into and out of engagement with the segment I86. Forthis purpose the upper end portion of the spring finger engages a slotpro vided in the lever 96 above mentioned.

When the trip rod II5 is pushed rearwardly by th operator, the cam rollI c2 carried by the trip lever IE5 moves in the cam slot Hill in thelever 55, causing said lever to swing coun terclockwise about its pivotuntil the roll reaches the end portion of the cam track, which endportion is so shaped that it effects no further movement of the lever 96during movement of the cam roll therealong but causes the lever 35 toremain stationary in its elevated position. The initial movement of thelever so opens the valve, and not until the valve is opened does thepawl 88 become disengaged by the action of the lever 95 on the springfinger 92 to free the pressurelocking lever.

When the pawl is disengaged, the yoke moves upwardly and the rear endportion of the pressure-locking lever llii moves downwardly until anextension of the pin 582 engages a forward extension ass of a downwardlyextending arm of the trip lever which it depresses until furthermovement is prevented by contact of a projection of the trip lever witha stop roll Lit mounted. on the pressure-locking lever H6. Thedepression or the forward extension 194 of the trip lever causes the camroll Hi2 carried by the opposite end of the trip lever to move out orthe rest position in the cam slot of the lever into a position where aspring Zilil anchored between the lever 5% and the projection 1% of thelever Hid tends to urge the lever 93 downwardly and would do so were itnot now prevented by the contact of the trip lever projection 96 withthe stop roll Hill. position of the lever is now such that the valve isopen and the pawl ass is disengaged, although, during the first part ofthe next upward movemerit of the pressure-locking lever lit, the valvewill be closed and the lockin' pawl will be re engaged by the reactionof the tension spring 253i! when permitted to do so by movement of theroll Hi8 above the projection 69 3, When the operator wishes to remove ashoe from the apparatus after attachment of the sole thereto, he willpush the knob H2 and the trip H53 rearwardly to open the valve so thatwater may flow from below the diaphragm into the reservoir under thepressure of the shoe against it.

Rearward movement of the trip rod ill? will also from the lookingsegment are, thus releasing the yoke for upward movement away from theshoe. The opening of the valve will, however, precede the disengagementof the locking pawl by such a time interval as will insure that thewater pressure beneath the diaphragm will have been fall- 1 ingconsiderably before the yoke is free to rise. This is the reason for theintroduction of the spring finger Hi2 which yields under th pressure ofthe lever 95 until the pressure between the segment its and the pawl itsis very much reduced. Then, and then only, is the tension of the springfinger able to move the pawl out of engagement with the segment. Thisfact prevents theyoke from forcibly jerked upwardly on release or thelocking pawl.

The upper end or the upwardly extending link ii 3, which is pivoted atits lower end at it?! to the pressure-locking lever, is pivotallyconnected at'Zili to a relatively short, rearwardly extending,bifurcated arm 2&2 of a hand lever 2M mounted on a pivot 2% having abearing in a boss Zil'i extending transversely of the frame. Thedistance between the pivot tilt and the for ward end or the hand leveris about five times that between the pivot 2% and the pivot 2st on therear end of the lever. The hand lever extends forwardly and upwardlyfrom the pivot 28% when the machine is ready to receive a shoe,terminating in a handle near the front of the machine conveniently to beoperated by the right hand of the operator to lower the yoke and causethe shoe to be thrust against the di- The serve to disengage the lockingpawl 528 aphragm. "A spring 2st interconnecting the hand lever and afixed hook serves to restore the hand lever and the parts connectedthereto to their initial positions on release of the locking pawl I88.

The under side of the receptacle is provided with a cavity 2h?immediately adjacent to the Water-containing compartment which closelyenvelops an electrical heating element 252, the element serving to heatthe water in the pad member. A heat-regulating switch 2h: is alsoprovided conveniently placed at the front of the apparatus which enablesthe water to be kept approximately at a predetermined. temperature,

In the operation of the apparatus, the heatadjusting switch 2% will havebeen previously set for the desired heat and sufiicient time allowed forthe water to have reached the desired temperature. The operator willthen take a shoe with a cemented sole in position and insert in the shoethe last L having the pressure-receiving portion P overlying theforepart of the shoe and preferably of the type described in UnitedStates Letters Patent No. 2,126,941, granted .August 16, 1938, uponapplication of George H. Barge.

He will then place the shoe and last in the apparatus so that the soleis in contact with the diaphragm and approximately centrally laterallyunder the pressuradistributing yoke, the pad member having already beenlocated on a selected pair of notches 58 which insure that the whole ofthe area to be pressed overlies a suitable portion of the diaphragm.With his left hand the operator will then depress the handle member H8until the abutment H9 is located on the notch in the pressure-receivingportion P of the last. With his right hand the operator will then movethe hand lever 20% forwardly and downwardly, thus causing its shortrearwardly extending arm 2% to move upwardly which, by means of itsconnecting link EM, raises the rear end of the pressure-locking leverlit. Release of the lever I06 by upward movement or the roll [98 allowsthe spring 2% to move the plate-like lever 96 to close the relief valveand tensions the spring finger 592 toward the pawl E88 to hold itagainst the ratchet segment Elli-i and prevent downward movementthereof. The forward end of the lever H6 moves downwardly, together withthe links [52, i5? which carry down the ro1ls ital in the slots 22, 24in the ears it, 2d of the base, and consequently the limbs of the yokemove downwardly. The first part of the downward movement of the yoke andthe link 5522 causes the extension 154 of the lever Hill to be loweredout of engagement with the lug E55, thuspermit ting the spring M2 to tipthe locking plate 5% to lock the sliding shaft ill to withstand theupward pressure of the diaphragm. ihe shoe is thus urged down againstthe'resilient resistance of the water-filled pad member the diaphragm ofwhich yields and conforms to the shoe bottom until it presses the soleinto complete contact with the shoebottorn.

If it is now observed that some portion of the shoe is pressed moredeeply into the diaphragm than other portions, indicating a variation inthe pressure with which different parts or the sole are being pressedagainst the shoe bottom, the yoke H4 may be rocked forwardlyorrearwardly about the pins I58 which then lie substantially in theplaneof the diaphragm and the yoke held in'the desired position by moving thelatch E63 into engagement with the segment 566. It will actuate also beunderstood that if successive shoes of a pair are placed in somewhatdifiering positions on the pad to be pressed thereagainst by descent ofthe yoke, the fact that the heightwise contour of the shoe bottom andthe pad differ from each other will be likely to cause the two shoes tosink into the diaphragm in differing manners with consequentinconsistency in the pressure exerted against their bottoms. If theoperator should observe, for some such reason as above given, that aparticular shoe is not being thrust against the pad-by the abutment llei-n the manner he considers most desirable, he can, in spite of thefact that the abutment is bearing firmly against the last within theshoe, rock the yoke about its pivot pins" I 58, thereby moving the pointof engagement of the abutment with the last also about these pins, thuscausing the shoe to be tilted on the diaphragm to an extent suiiicientto cause the parts of the shoe bottom to sink into the diaphragm to thedesired extent. The fact that when the shoe is being pressed against thepad the pins l 58 about which the yoke swings are more or less on thesame level as the diaphragm 30 facilitates the rocking of the shoe andreduces any tendency for it to be moved forwardly or rearwardly upon thepad by the swinging of the yoke. The ability of the opera:- tor thus tomodify the pressure applied to dif= ferent portions of the shoebottomeven while the shoe is under pressure constitutes an unusual advantageover shoe-bottom-pressing de vices commonly available since, when usingsuch devices, it is customarily necessary to release the pressure on theshoe and reposition it on the shoe-bottom-pressing pad or to readjustthe shoe-pressing abutment if it is noticed that a shoe is being pressedagainst its pad in an undesired manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A shoe press having, in combination, a pad containing liquid, a valvecontrolling exit of liquidfrom the pad, means for applying pressure to ashoe located on the pad, manually operated means for opening the valveat the conclusion of a pressing operation on a shoe, and means renderedoperative by the initial movement of the pressure applying means towardthe pad for closing the valve. I 7

2-. A shoe press having, in combination, a pad containing liquid, areservoir open to the atmosphere connected with the pad, a valve seatbetween the pad and the reservoir, a resilient valve engaging said seat,a spring for holding the valve against its seat, means for varying thetension of the spring, and manually operated means for pressing a shoeagainst the pad with a pressure determined by the tension of the spring.

3. A shoe press having, in combination, a pad containing liquid, areservoir connected to the pad, a valve between the pad and thereservoir, means for applying pressure to a shoe located on the pad,manually operated means for opening the valve at the conclusion of apressing on oration on a shoe, and means rendered opera tive by theinitial movement of the pressure a'p plying" means toward the pad forclosing the valve.

l1 A shoe press having, in combination, a pad, a yoke straddling thepad, an abutment movable heightwise of the yoke to engage a; last on thepad, a locking plate through which the abutment extends; a springtending to tilt the plate and 10 lock the abutment againstmovement awayfrom the pad, and means for moving the yoke height-'- Wise of the lastto press the shoe and last to ward the pad, said movement of the yokepermitting the spring to tilt the locking plate to prevent upwardmovement of the abutment.

5 A shoe press having, in combination, a pad, a yoke straddling the pad,an abutment movable heightwis'e of the yoke to engage a last on the pad,a locking plate through which the abutment extends, a spring tending totilt the plate and lock the abutment against movement away from the pad,and means for moving the yoke heightwise or the last to press the shoeand last toward the pad, upward movement of the yoke acting to move thelocking plate to inoperative position. 7 V

6. A shoe press having", in combination, a pad, a yoke straddling thepad, means for guiding the yoke in a direction perpendicular to thepressing iace oi the pad to pressure to a last and shoe, said yoke beingmounted on an axis extending transversely of the pad and substamti'ally' in the plane of the pressing face of the pad when inpressure-applying position, and means for operating the yoke to pressthe shoe upon the pad.

'7. A shoe press having, in combination, a pad, a yoke mounted formovement on an axis exending transversely of the ad, means guiding saidaxis for movement perpendicular to the pad surface, and meansfor movingthe yoke downwardly to apply pressure to the shoe on the pad, suchmovement disposing the axis substantially in the plane of the pressingsurface of the pad, the yoke being movable about said axis to alter thepressing relation between the pad surface and the shoe bottom.

8. A shoe press having, in combination, a yielding pad, a yokestraddlingthe pad, the yoke being mounted to swing lengthwise of the shoe about anaxis extending transversely of the pad, means for moving the yokeheightwise to apply pressure to a last and shoe on the pad, the yokebeing swingabl'e about said axis while the last and shoe are underpressure evenly to distribute the pressure applied to the shoe bottom,and means for holding the yoke inthe position to which it is swung. I

9 A shoe press having, in combination, a pad, a yoke mounted formovement on an axis ex tending" transversely of the ad, means guidingsaid axis for movement perpendicular to the pad surface, means formoving the yoke down= ward-1y to apply pressure to the shoe on the pad,such movement disposing the axis sub-stantiak ly in the plane of thepressi-ng'surface of the pad, the yoke being movable about said axis toalter the pressing relation between the pad surface and the shoe bottom,a toothed segment on the yoke, anda latch for engaging the segment.

10. A shoe press having, in combination, a ad, a yoke" mounted formovement on an axi extending transversely of the pad, means guidingsaid-axis for movement perpendicular to the pad surface, means formoving the" yoke downwardly to apply pressure to the shoe on the pad,such movement disposing the axis substantially the plane of the pressingsurface of the pad, the yoke being movable about said axis toalter thepressing relation between the pad surface and the shoe bottom, a toothedsegment on the yoke, a latch for engaging the toothed segment, and meansoperated by upward movement of the yoke for releasing the latch. I

11. A shoe press having, in combination, a liquid-containing pad havinga resilient diaphragm forming the pressing surface of the pad, areservoir connected with the pad, a pressurerelief valve between the padand the reservoir, means for pressing a shoe against the diaphragm, thepressure so applied being limited by opening of the relief valve, aplate inside the pad movable toward the diaphragm to dilate the pad whenpressure thereon is released, a toggle engaging the plate and soarranged that straightening of the toggle moves the plate toward thediaphragm, and a tension spring connected to the pivot of the togglewhereby the more the diaphragm is depressed by pressure of the shoethereon the less the dilating eiiect of the spring.

12. A shoe press having, in combination, a pad containing liquid, areservoir open to the atmosphere connected with a pad, a valve seatbetween the pad and the reservoir, a resilient valve engaging said seat,a spring for holding the valve against its seat, means for varying thetension of the spring, means for pressing a shoe against the pad with apressure determined by the tension of the spring, and means including aspring and toggle for dilating the pad when the pressure thereon isreleased so arranged that the greater the dilation the greater thedilating pressure of the spring.

13. A shoe press having, in combination, a pad containing liquid, areservoir connected with the pad, a valve between the pad and thereservoir, means for applying pressure to a shoe on the pad including alever, and means rendered operative by movement of said lever inpressure-applying direction for seating the valve.

14. A shoe press having, in combination, a pad containing liquid, areservoir connected with the pad, a valve between the pad and thereservoir,

means for applying pressure to a shoe on the pad i including apressure-locking lever, a valve lever for opening and closing saidvalve, and-means biasing the valve lever to valve-closing position,movement of said pressure-locking lever in pressure-applying directionpermitting operation of the valve lever to close the valve.

15. A shoe press having, in combination, a pad containing liquid, areservoir connected with the pad, a valve between the pad and thereservoir, means for applying pressure to a shoe on the pad including alever, means for opening the valve while the shoe is under pressure andholding it open, a spring tending to close the valve, and means operatedby movement of the pressure-applying lever to pressing position forrendering said spring effective to close the valve.

16. A shoe press having, in combination, a pad containing liquid, areservoir connected with the pad, a valve between the pad and thereservoir, means engaging a last to press the last and shoe upon thepad, a valve-operating lever movement of which in one direction seatsthe valve and movement of which in the other direction unseats thevalve, a tripping lever connected to the valveoperating lever to move itin either direction, part of the movement of the tripping lever beingneutral and imparting no movement to the valve-operating lever, andmeans effective on movement of the last-engaging means away from theshoe to move the tripping lever out of neutral position.

17. A shoe press having, in combination, a liquid-containing pad, areservoir connected with the pad, a valve between the reservoir and thepad, means for pressing a last and shoe on the pad including apressure-locking lever having a toothed segment, a plate-like leverconnected to the valve and having a slot therein, and a tripping leverengaging the slot in the plate-like lever and having an active and aneutral position in said slot, operation of the tripping lever movingthe plate-like lever in a direction to open the valve before enteringits neutral position, movement of the pressure-locking lever to releasedposition engaging the tripping lever to move it out of neutral position.7

18. A shoe press having, in combination, a pad containing liquid, areservoir connected with the pad, a valve between the pad and thereservoir, means engaging a last to press the last and shoe upon thepad, a tripping lever, a lever having a slot part of which is concentricwith the pivot of the tripping lever, a roll on the tripping leverengaging said slot, movement of the slotted lever in one directionseating the valve and movement in the other direction unseating thevalve, a spring tending to move the slotted lever to valveseatingposition, means for moving the tripping lever to unseat the valve andmove the roll thereon into the concentric part of the slot rendering thespring inoperative to seat the valve, and means controlled by thelast-engaging means to move the roll out of the concentric part of theslot to permit the spring to act. 19. A shoe press having, incombination, a pad containing liquid, a reservoir connected with thepad, a valve between the pad and the reservoir, means engaging a last topress the last and shoe upon the pad, a pressure-locking lever connectedto the last-engaging means, a ratchet on the looking lever, a pawl on afixed axis for holding the pressure-locking lever in pressure position,means for closing the valve, and means operated by the valve-closingmeans for rendering the pawl effective to engage the ratchet on thepressure-locking lever.

20. A shoe press having, in combination, a pad containing liquid, areservoir connected with the pad, a valve between the pad and thereservoir, means engaging a last to press the last and shoe upon thepad, a pressure-locking lever connected to the last-engaging means, aratchet on said lever, a pawl on a fixed axis for holding thepressure-locking lever in pressure-applying position, means for closingthe valve, and means operated by the valve-closing means for renderingthe pawl effective to hold the pressure-locking lever.

21. A shoe press having, in combination, a pad containing liquid, areservoir connected with the pad, a valve between the pad and thereservoir, means engaging a last to press the last and shoe upon thepad, a slotted lever movement of which in one direction seats the valveand movement of which in the other direction unseats the valve, atripping lever carrying a roll engaging the slot in the slotted lever,and a trip rod connected to the trip lever for moving the slotted leverto unseat the valve.

22. A shoe press having, in combination, a liquid-containing pad, areservoir connected with the pad, a valve between the reservoir and thepad, means for pressing a last and shoe on the pad including apressure-locking lever having a toothed segment, a valve lever connectedto the valve and operable to open and close it, a pawl on a fixed axisfor engaging the toothed segment, and a spring finger on the pawlengaging the valve lever, movement of the valve lever to open the valvestressing the finger in a direction away from the segment and movementof the valve lever to close the valve stressing the finger in adirection toward the segment.

23. A shoe press having, in combination, a liquid-containing pad, areservoir connected with the pad, a valve between the reservoir and thepad, means for pressing a last and shoe on the pad including apressure-locking lever having a toothed segment, a plate-like leverconnected to the valve and having a slot'therein, a tripping levercarrying a roll engaging the slot in the plate-like lever, a trip rodfor operating the tripping lever, a pawl on a fixed axis for engagingthe toothed segment, and a spring finger on the pawl engaging theplate-like lever, operation of 14 the tripping lever by the trip rodmoving the plate-like lever in a direction to open the valve and tostress the finger in a direction to move the pawl away from the segment.

FRANK COLEMAN CHOICE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,495,162 Casgrain May 27, 1924 2,059,831 Willey Nov. 3, 19362,201,996 Finn May 28, 1940 2,268,874 Huntoon Jan. 6, 1942

